May Day 2020: Indiana immigrant-worker caravan

This May Day, let’s fight for undocumented workers! Cosecha Indiana and Cosecha Elkhart, Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and others are organizing a car caravan to demand: Dignity for undocumented workers! The right to a fair life! Permanent relief and protection for the 11 million!

There are events beginning in Indianapolis and Elkhart. After a socially-distanced rally, they the separate car caravans will join together. In Indianapolis we will meet at the Statehouse (200 W. Washington St.) at 11:00 am, and in Elkhart we will meet at the parking lot of The Arena (2401 Middlebury St.) at 1:30 pm.

These are difficult times where we have lost our jobs or had our hours cut. We’ve not been able to make enough money to pay bills and rent.

Maybe some of us haven’t stopped working because we’re considered “essential.” As time passes, we see how much the cases of COVID-19 grow in our workplaces, but even still we’re not being given masks or gloves to protect us while we work.

On top of this, the state has continued to detain us, deport us, and exclude us from financial support. In Indiana we still don’t have licenses, complete access to healthcare, and counties are continuing to detain our families.

We say: Enough already!

Why May First?

We’re commemorating May Day, or International Workers’ Day, and this May 1st, we’re reclaiming the power of our labor. We are working immigrant people, the workforce that sustains this country. The 11 million undocumented immigrants. The workers who are undocumented, essential, and excluded. We’re those that have crossed seas, rivers, and borders to get to a world that we used to think is better for our families and our future, but instead has exploited us and negated our basic dignity, respect, and protection.

What’s going on?

During this pandemic, undocumented workers and our families have seen themselves forced to choose between working in unsafe conditions and losing their only income to put food on the table. Choosing between dying of the virus or of hunger.

The government has excluded us from all its financial support. We can’t pay our bills or care for our families. All of this country’s working class is sacrificing to maintain life in their homes and the function of this country.

What are we going to do?

We’ve always been undocumented and we’ll continue to be after the pandemic ends. But, we’re coming out of the shadows to demand respect and protection for all undocumented families. We’re more than essential workers and disposable bodies.

Now is not the time to bow our heads and do what the country hopes we do. For so many decades, this country has told us that we shouldn’t be here, that we don’t belong, but now it needs us to work and sustain it. Enough already. If this country depends on us, it should respect us and protect us with access to medical attention, safer and more decent working conditions, help and access to food and shelter, and protection against the separation of families.

Without workers there’s no work! With our effort we will force the country to recognize our work. We will demand dignity, respect, and protection.

Where there’s life, there’s community. Where there’s community, there’s hope. The people live and the struggle continues! Long live the workers!